The Carrie Diaries Review

Pretty in Sapphire

Who would have thought that office lieutenant, Barbara, would really become a role worth talking about? I thought she was going to be there mostly as an authority figure that gave guff to Carrie and her life. But … that’s not how things are morphing. Now, she’d already been reminding me of Molly Ringwald (a fact I mentioned in an earlier review), which was a fun 80’s thing in and of itself. But in this episode, she acted in a Motherly role towards Carrie. And that makes me kind of like her even more. More than Molly Ringwald-adjacent levels! I hope we see more of her. I also kinda wonder if Mr. Bradshaw might ever have a romantic fling with her.

Haute Couture

I was hopeful that George might be a fun distraction from Sebastian, but he served to first show a different sort of dating story for her. All through her life in NYC, Carrie would see the world of the upper crust. The Blair Waldrof’s. (The rich bitches.) But she’d never be that. (She could be a bitch if she wanted to, but she’d never be rich.) She’d find success and friends and fashion… but she would never be someone who was born with a silver spoon in her mouth. And this was her first real interaction with that realm. I mean, throwing odd theme parties that flatter only the host are de rigeur with this social set. And Kick’s (Kit’s?) gemstone ball fits that bill perfectly.

80’s References

I’m not going to wax poetic about everything this episode had that gave us memories of times gone by. No, I’m not going to go into detail to mention the hilariously huge cell phones, or how there used to be actual land line phones in powder rooms… I just want to talk about one thing. Remember how George had come by to to pick up his typed college application? I relate to this! Didn’t you ever have someone type something for you? You know, back in the old days before we all knew how to type fast? I distinctly remember having my Dad’s Aunt type up a report on Greek pottery for me in 6th grade. I also remember that’s when I vowed that I hated Greek pottery and it’s annoying pottery pictures, gah! (I love art, but I got so invested in that report that I was killing myself with it in a Mouse fashion. I seemed to think I needed to explain the origin story of pottery with every detail available. I would also soon come to curse The Civil War, a war I felt I had to explain in complete detail. I’m a details person, basically.)

The First Bradshaw

Whoa. We got backstory on Grace Bradshaw. Apparently she loved the city as much as Carrie would grow to. And … some of what we learned was almost a bit sad. Grace never wanted to move away, and Carrie could grow up hating her Dad for making her Mom do that. Kids have had stranger tantrums. When Carrie gets married, she never leaves the city. And Grace was forced to, even cried on her last night. That’s.. intense. But on the happier side of memories, we learned that Grace used to wear a flower in her lapel…something Carrie would do as she got older and was in her years of dating a politician who peed on her.

ETC

Seth (Richard Kohnke) on The Carrie Diaries reminds me so much of Adam Brody. And he is perhaps best known for playing a character named Seth on the O.C.! Crazy. Or at least crazy-ish and worth noting!